“He died 4 days before his son was born.” Scott & Kelsey’s Vasculitis Story
Blog They never expected it. “Scott passed away four days before he could have met his son,” Kelsey, his wife, told me. “I am reminded every day. It hurts.” For several weeks, he had been sick: cough, body aches, fever, joint pain. Until one night he began coughing up blood and couldn’t catch his breath. […]
Finding a Way Through, Together
Blog Darrin White’s life has meandered. He was born in the Canadian province of Manitoba. His father was in the Canadian Armed Forces, so their family moved a lot—“roughly every 20 months of my childhood,” Darrin said. As an adult, he lived for “a stint” in Ottawa, another stint in Halifax, followed by time in […]
Two Sides of a Kidney
Blog When you’re a nurse and have four kids under the age of seven, feeling tired can be par for the course. But Theresa Caldron’s fatigue wouldn’t go away and was accompanied by a host of other symptoms. Intrinsically, she knew something wasn’t right, and after two years of repeated trips to the doctor’s office, […]
Call for Submissions
Blog The John Grube Foundation e.V., based in Hamburg, awards the “John Grube Prize” in honour of its namesake, who died young of granulomatosis with polyangiitis (GPA). The DGRH has been involved in the award since 2021 by appointing a board member to the foundation’s advisory board and providing a platform and a worthy setting […]
Revelations: How One Woman is Emerging from her Vasculitis Gloom
Blog When I spoke to Lupe on the phone for the first time, I asked her to describe herself in a few words. Colleagues had already told me about her, calling her “hilarious,” “always uplifting,” and “welcoming.” But when I asked Lupe, who’s been living with granulomatosis polyangiitis (GPA) vasculitis since July 2023, she paused, […]
We All Deserve Kindness
Blog Before Irene Tipton began her journey with (Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis) GPA, she had dedicated her life to helping others learn. First as an elementary school teacher, then an assistant principal, and then training other teachers, she used her gifts to connect people and ideas. In 2020, her world changed when a string of physical […]
“I Had No Idea If I was Going to Live or Die” – Alex’s Teenage Journey with Vasculitis
Blog Meet Alex, from Fort Mitchell, KY, who’s living with GPA vasculitis: I was diagnosed in June 2018 when I was 16 years old and in between my sophomore and junior years of high school. The challenges I faced with vasculitis were plentiful. I woke up one day being unable to bend my knees without […]
“What If Vasculitis Stops Me From Becoming a Mother?”
Blog Samantha SainteMarie was in graduate school, working to get her master’s degree in mental health counseling, when it first happened. She was typing a research paper and noticed that her legs and feet had swollen. By the time the swelling went down, purpura–purple patches on her skin–were all over. “It looked like a port […]
Championing Vasculitis Victories: Art Diaz’s Choice to Advocate
Blog Art Diaz was living a full life in Southern California and rarely got sick. He was fit; a runner. Every few years, he’d force himself to see his primary care doctor, but the doctor would give him a clean bill of health and he’d go on his way for another few years. Art thought […]
A Patient’s Perspective: Roadblocks to Care Must be Addressed
Blog Every morning, Jane would wake up feeling fine. Every afternoon, an intense wave of dizziness would overcome her. She went to a neurologist who diagnosed her with vestibular migraine and sent her home. But the diagnosis never sat well with Jane. The neurologist she had been working with was dismissive; “You’re a woman in […]